Reclining adjustable chair and seat



A. E. GELL.

RECLINING ADJUSTABLE CHAIR AND SEAL APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5. 1922.

1 ,414,637 Patented May 2, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 5. I922.

nt/6mg -H 6 6 1/2 ALBERT EDWIN GELL, or SYDNEY, new sonrn WALES, AUSTRALIA.

RECLINING ADJUSTABLE CHAIR AND SEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1922.

Application filed January 5 1922. Serial No. 527,260.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT EDWIN GELL, subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Sydney, New South lVales, Australia, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Reclining Adjustable C hairs and Seats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in seats and has for "its object to provide a falseback frame independent of a fixed seat back and fitted to permit angular adjustment in relation to the fixed back. The top part of the false back rests against the fixed back and is slidable vertically in relation to it, the bottom part of the false back being supported either by a hinge attachment to the rear part of a sliding seat or by pivoted arms carried on the chair frame so that in either-case it may be moved as desired towards or away from the fixed back whereby to change its angle in relation to the fixed back and to offer a support at any angle of inclination desired. The back upholstery is attached to the top part of the fixed back and rests against the false back to which it may be attached but in such a way as to permit adjusting movement of the false back. The seat bottom may be fixed or it may be arranged to slide. When it is made slidable, in the case of vehicle seats, it is provided with locking means for fixing it against accidental displacement from anycertain position at which it is adjusted; and in the case of domestic chairs or auditorium seats it is provided with limit stops for checking the range of' adjustment, frictional resistance suflicing in these cases for preventing accidental displacement.

In the accompanying drawings F ig. 1 is a front elevation of a carriage or motor car seat with parts broken away to show the bottom. slide locking mechanism:

Fig. 2 isa sectional'view on the line 2-2 Fig. El;

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary perspective.

views of portions of a car seat framing, showing portions of the locking mechanism: Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating the operation of the locking mechanism: 1 Y I Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the framework of a domestic chair the cushions being removed, embodying my invention.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section on the line 7-7 in Fig. 6:

v Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of a domestlc or auditorium chair in which the false back is supported on pivotal arms at its lower end independently of the seat:

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 a structure is developed for use in a vehicle,whilst in Figs. 6, 7, and 8' it is developed foruse in fixed chalrs or seats as for domestic,or auditorium use.

Referring to the drawing in detail and more particularly to Figs. 6 and 7, the long tud1nals'10 of the main frame carry the slide bottom frame 11; for this purpose they are rabbeted on the inner under side and the slide 11 is fitted with embracing rabbeted slips 12 which extend only a portion of the length of the side of the slide 11, their fore ends forming stops which. contact with the inner side of the cross front rail 13 and limit the forward range of movement of the slide 11 on the frame longitudinals 10. The false back 14 is attached by hinges 15 at its bottom end to the backjend of the slide bottom frame 11; at its upper end it rests freely against the main frame back 16. The slide bottom. 11 and the false back 14 are battened or otherwise filled; a cushion .may be fixed on the bottom or loosely set on it; and a cushion is hung to the top rail 17 of the back 16 to set loosely over the false back 14. The cushioning may be upholstered with bellows joints arranged to permit the frame movements. In the type of constructions shown in Figs. 6 and 7, lowering of the reclining angle of the seat back is necessarily accompanied by forward movement of the seat bottom, and vice-versa, and the extreme range of movement is limited by the permissible sliding range of the bottom slide 11.

In the case of a vehicle seat, such as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 the bottom slide is "set upwardly tipped. It is guided 'on metal slips 20 on which recesses 21 in the slide frame engage, and the top end of the false back is fitted with slide claws 22 which work in slots 23 in the sides of the main back frame 24. Looking is effected by engaging swinging racks 25 with staples 26 fixed on the bottom frame. The ends of the racks 25 are pivotally hung in eye plates 27 fixed on the slide bottom, and are articulated at 28 to links 29 oppositely disposed on an eccentric plate 30 fitted with a hand knob 31.

When the plate 30 occupies a vertical-p0:

sition' as in Fig. 1 the links 29 operate to engage the swinging racks with the staples. Disengagement of the same to free the sliding parts for readjustment of position is effected by moving the knob 31 laterally to rotate the eccentric plate'sufiiciently'to disengage the racks from the staples.

In Fig. 8 the falseback 40 is slidable at its top edge against the fixed back 41, but at its lower part is supported on pivots 4:2 fixed in the main frame of the chair, as by angular pivot arms 43 which are pivotally connected to it at 44; the arms 43 are extended downwardly below the pivots 42 to form crank arms 45. One or boththese arms are controllable by means of a vlink 46 provided with locking mechanism 47 and a hand piece 48. lVhen the looking mechanism 47 ,is released and the rod 46 operated by means of the hand piece 48, the arms 43 are thrown forward or backward as the case may .be to alter the reclining angle of the false back 40. The

upholstered cushion 49 is attached at its top edge '50 to the top of the fixed back 41. It may be loosely attached to the false back 40 in such a way as'to offer a free movement to the false back in relation to the fixed back, and the false back may be checked against accidental forward movement at its top edge by means of claws 51- slidably engageable in the vertical slots 52 in the sides of the vertical members of the;

to be alter-able as to angular tilt indepehdentlyof the false back 40, the bottom edge of which does not extend to the face of the seat cushion 53.

The, essential feature of the invention is the provision of the false back 40, the angular position of which is changeable dependentlyor-independently of the adjustment of the seat 54 and wlthout disturbing the fixed back 41, whereby facility is offered for alteration of the reclining angle of the upholstered back 49 to suit the desire of .the user.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.. A seat comprising a fixed back frame, a false back frame capable of being moved forwardly and rearwardly at its lower end whereby its reclining angle may be varied, a bottom frame, a bottom cushion supported upon the. bottom frame, and a back cushion fastened at its top edge to and flexibly suspended from the fixed back frame and loosely disposed to slide relative to the false back frame, the point of attachment of the back cushion to the fixed back frame constituting a flexible joint permitting said back cushionto be raised bodily with respect to the false back and said back cushion being disposed with its lower portion overlying the top of the bottom cushion for movement thereover.

2. A seat comprising main back and bottom frames, a false bottom slidably mounted on the bottom frame, a false back pivotally connected with the false bottom, and slidably engaging the main back frame, a-stationary pawl carried by the main bottom frame, pivoted racks secured to the false bottom and movable about their longi-' tudinal axes, said racks having downwardly directed pointed teeth to engage the pawl and, prevent movement of the falsebottom in either direction, a manually operable member arranged between the racks, and means connecting the manually operable member with said racks whereby to turn the latter about their longitudinal axes. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ALBERT EDWIN GELL. 

